TUFS Student Wins Best Individual Award at English Presentation Contest

published February 22, 2018

On Saturday the 9th of December, TUFS student Sebastian Johnson (School of Language and Culture Studies, English Language Studies, third year), won the Best Individual Award at the 6th Annual All Japan Student English Presentation Contest (sponsored by Kanda Gaigo Group and Yomiuri Shimbun). Mr. Johnson gave a presentation to the topic of 'Why the Japan Rugby World Cup 2019 Training Camps Should Be Held in My Town.'Using his two years of experience living in Okinawa, Mr. Johnson proposed that the official team training camps should be held in Yomitan, Okinawa. Mr. Johnson received high praise for speaking passionately about Yomitan.This contest was established in 2012, and is aimed at students aspiring to work in a global society.For more information on this contest, please click the link below (page in Japanese).http://www.kandagaigo.ac.jp/contest/

Thoughts on Winning

‪This time, I was able to win the Best Individual Award at the All Japan Student English Presentation Contest. It was my second time participating in this contest. The first time was in 2015 when I was attending Meio University in Okinawa. I decided to participate in this contest as I wanted to compete with students from all over Japan with my English skills. Back then, I managed to pass through both of the preliminary rounds, but ended up not being chosen as a finalist, and I still remember clearly how disappointed I felt. That was one of the big motivations behind my decision to transfer to TUFS.

The path to winning was by no means easy. I had to search for data that supported my idea without compromise, I read various papers and documents, and I practiced my presentation until my voice began to disappear.Amongst all the regrets and reflections I had from last time, the most important point I discovered was 'captivating the audience'. No matter how much effort you put into research, and no matter how brilliant your idea is, if your presentation is difficult for the audience to grasp, it will only have half the appeal. I had so many other ideas I wanted to share this time, but I restrained myself, and made sure I kept my presentation simple and consistent. Looking back, I experienced many things during this contest that are going to help me in the future. From preparing properly and steadily, to giving a presentation in front of over 500 people, every step of this journey has become an important memory to me.